Presidential ‘sales pitch’
 30 June 2009

.
HONGKONG, 29 June - President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo “the country’s number one salesperson” after a grueling nine-day working visits to Japan, Colombia and Brazil, is making a side trip here to check on the welfare of our overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as well as to give recognition to their remittances that serve as one of our country’s firewalls against the global financial crisis.

These latest working and state visits, with their expected immeasurable benefits in terms of more trade, investments, development assistance, tourism promotion, new job opportunities and improvement of the welfare of oversees Filipino workers, once more prove the aggressiveness of the President’s “sales pitch” in foreign lands.

The President strongly believes that in this very complex and interconnected world that we are in, leaders of all nations must ensure that their economies and their people are fully integrated into the opportunities and benefits that come from active participation in the global arena; thus the need to undertake such trips.

Just consider these gains made from the President’s just concluded working visits to Japan and Brazil:

1. Signing of the Y1,013,000.00 Grant Agreement between the Philippine Government and Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) for the Flood Disaster Mitigation Project in Camiguin Island;

2. Signing of Memorandum of Understanding between the Philippine Government and the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) for JBIC to guarantee up to US$ 1 billion yen-dominated foreign (Samurai) bonds to float in the Japanese capital market in the next two years;

3. Firm commitments from Japanese companies to invest and/or increase their investments in the Philippines. They include Toshiba, Marubeni and Tokyo Electric, Toyota, Sumitomo and Mitsubishi UFJ.

4. Commitment of Marubeni Corporation of $500 million for the expansion of the Light Rail Transit (LRT) Line; and $100 million for the Air Traffic Control, Project Package 1 that will provide new communications, navigation, surveillance/air traffic management systems to Philippine airports.

5. Awarding of build-operate-transfer (BOT) right by the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) to MRT 7, a private sector project of the Universal LRT Corporation (ULC). The project cost is estimated to be $1.5 billion, and is proposed to be funded by JBIC buyer’s credit.

6. Commitment of Toyota Tsusho Corporation to develop five jathropa plantations of 20,000 hectares, each to produce 300,000 tons of biodiesel fuel every year and generate some 12,000 new jobs and estimated annual sale of about $200 million.

7. The Corporation also committed 40 windmill units for Burgos, Ilocos Sur.

8. Commitment of Aruze Corporation, the world leader in the manufacture of gaming machines, of $4 billion to $6 billion for the construction of a hotel resort and convention complex in the Philippines.

9. Other commitments secured include the supply of high performance construction and machinery for large-scale infrastructure development and mining operations; supply of agricultural machinery for increased agricultural productivity and improvement of food self-sufficiency.

The Japanese government sought the Philippines’ cooperation in the implementation of Economic research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA) projects as part of the stimulus plan of Japan for Asia. The plan includes infrastructure and industrial development.

The President reiterated the need to close the development gap in the BIMP-EAGA and emphasized on logistics development, particularly the proposal for a roll-on/roll-off system between southern Mindanao and North Sulawesi.

The Japanese government also expressed satisfaction with the implementation of the Japan-Philippine Economic Partnership Agreement (JPEPA) and said they are optimistic about its smooth implementation.

The President’s visit to Brazil, the first by a sitting Philippine President, has provided an impetus for enhanced RP-Brazil relations.

Her four-day, three-city trip to Brazil, netted five signed agreements and a joint statement between the Department of Agriculture and the Brazilian Association of Giriondo Breeders.

Two of the accords focus on agricultural and commercial cooperation. The others are in Bioenergy Cooperation between the Department of Energy and the Ministry of Mines and Energy of Brazil; employment remuneration for dependents of diplomatic and technical personnel; and biofuel development between the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry and Brazil’s National Confederation of Industry.

The President ended her nine-day trip to Japan and Brazil after meeting with the officials of the Compania Vale de Rio Dose, a Brazilian mining firm that committed some P600 million for the exploration of gold and other mineral deposits in Masbate.

Rest assured that the President would continue to fulfill her responsibility of boosting the country’s international relations as well as of promoting the nation’s interests, particularly the welfare of some 8 million OFWs, regardless of the cheap shot hurled against her concerning her frequent travels abroad.

That, for me, is leadership at its best!

[TOP] [HOME]